Confectionery-machine



BHACH. CONFECTIONERY MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, 19H.

` W1 TNESSES; ZQ W E. J. BRACH.

CoNFEcnoNERY MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, 1917. 1,348,081 v v Patented July 27, 1920.

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E. J. BRACH. coNFEcnoNERYMAcHlNE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2l 1917. 1,348,081 Patented July 27, 1920.

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E J BRACH CONFECTIONERY MACHINE.

APPLICATION man FEB. 2, 1917.

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E. lJ. BRA'CHL coNFEcTloNERY MACHINE. i N F1 |911. .A Patented July 27, 1920.

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CONFECTIONERY MACHINE. APPLICATION man FEB. 2, 1917.

1,348,081. PamntedJulyz'z, 1920.

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WITNESSES" Emil BY 4 l l #41( Q Cl. /zj/ ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TQ all whom t may concern:

Beit known that LIEMIL J. BEACH, a citizen of the United States, and aS-resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Confectionery- Machines, of which the following is a speciication. v v

My invention relates to improvements in confectionery machines of the type designed for use particularly in the formation of candy in special designs, such asin the form of peanuts, balls and other designs.

The object of my invention is the production of machine of the character mentioned which will be of durable and eco-l nomical construction, and through the mel dium of which plastic material, such p as molten candy, may be formed in the shapes desired, readily and with great expedition, the operation being continuous.

A further object is the production of a machine as mentioned, in which the material introduced into position between the form or mold elements of the machine will be positively confined in said form or mold members and prevented from being pressed or squeezed laterally therefrom.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in the combinations and 'arrange-y ments of parts hereinafter described and claimed. 1

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a confec4 tionery machine embodying Vthe invention,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with one side of the supporting frame removed and the shafts shown in section,

Fig. 3 isa horizontal section through the machine taken'just above the lower series of form elements. Y

Fig. et is a vertical transverse section taken on substantially line .aiof Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section throughthe discharge end ofthe machine, showing the relation and construction of the upper and lower sets of form elements.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating one form of a construction for use in connection with the lower form elements to eject the pieces of candy which have been formed therein,

Specification of Letters Patent.

EMIL J. simon', or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ooNFEofrIoNnRY-MACHINE.

Patented July 27,1920..

Application led February 2, 191,7. Serial No. 146,257.

Fig. 7 is Va top plan view of one of the lower form members, the cams which cooperate with the confining members being shown in section, Fig. 8 is a section taken on substantially line y-g/ ofV Fig. 7,

vF ig. 9vis atop plan view of one of the lower form elements, with lthe confining members omitted, and

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan -viewof a pair of the confining members such as coperate Ywith each of the lower form elements.

The preferred form of construction, as illustratedin the drawings, comprises lower and upper supporting frame members 1 and 2 said frame members being adjustably connected at one end by a pin 3 which permits of pivotal movement of the opposite endV of frame member 2, as will be readily understood. Pivotally secured to a pin f1, provided at the opposite en d of frame member 1, are connecting pins 5 which are adapted for engagement with a forked or recessed end portion 6 of the frame member l2. Helical compression springs 7 with which cooperate nuts 8, engage against the upper sides Vof end portion 6, serving to yieldingly hold the frame member 2 at its lower ter-v minal of movement. 'p

\ -Mounted in each of the frame members 1 and 2, adjacent the respective ends thereof are transversely extending shafts 9 and 10 and 9 and 10, respectively. The shafts 9. and 9 are mounted in bearing blocks 11 which are shiftably mounted in elongated slots 12 formed in the frame members 11 and 2, as clearly seen in Fig. l. Adjustment of said bearing blocks in said slots is effected A `15f being adjustably connected with the shaft 10, by mechanism, as clearly seen in Fig. 1, which permits of relative rotative lshifting of said shaft' in order to effect proper registration of theform eler-nents, as

will be hereinafter described.A l

Carried by the shafts 9 and 10 are pairs of spaced alining sprocket wheels 16 and 17 re. spectively, as clearly seen in' Figs. 2 and 4. Carried by the shafts 9 and 10 vare aliningv sprocket wheels 16 and 17"' respectively.,r

Cooperating with the sprocket wheels 16 and 17 are two spaced sprocket chains 18 and cooperating with the sprocket wheels 16 and 17 are two spaced sprocket chains 18. Arranged between and carried by the sprocket chains 13 isa series of form clements 19 whiclrare arranged end to end and which have their inner ends fastened to, said chains, as clearly seen in Fig. el.. The trans'-V versely elongated inner portion -of'each of the form elements 19 is rounded at its ends as jat-20, as clearly seen in Fig. 8, in order to engage in the recesses between the teeth of sprocket wheels 16 and 17, as willbe readily understood. The outer side of each of the form elements 19 is formed with a recess or mold 21 which is adapted to constitute onehalf of the form or mold `in which the candy or other plastic material is to be formedinto the ShapeY desired. .Likewise carried by thel chains\18 is a series of upper form elements y 19 in the outer ends of which are formed re- Figs. 7, 8 and 9. The confining members 23 are secured in position by means ofA screws 25 which engage loosely with elongated slots 26 which are formed in the members 23. so as to permit of the desired lateral shifting or sliding of the same. The coniining inembers 23 are normally held in outward position, or so that the inner ends thereof 'are out of engagement with "the recessed portions of the form membersby means of plungers 27 which are slidably` mounted in recesses 2S formed in the sides of each form member 19, as clearly seen in Fig. S. rEhe plungers 27 are operatively connected with the confining lmembers 23 by pins 29, helical compression springs 3() engaging with said plungers serving to press the same and hence the confining members 23 outwardly-as will be readily understood. The outer ends of confining members 23 engage against convergingly arranged elongated cani members 31, `as rclearly seen in Fig. v3, the arrangement being such that as'said confining niembers, in the operation of themachine, ap-v proach the discharge end thereof, said'coniningV members will be graduallyY moved toward-each other or into close engagement with the sides of the form or mold forming portions of the members19 and 19', so as to positively preclude the possibility of any of the material which has been introduced into the forms or molds from being laterally pressed therefrom; The recesses or forms v21 are arranged end to end in the travel of vthe form elements between the sprocket wheels at the ends of the machine, and the confining members 23 are formed to com- -of the machine,.the form elements at the adjacent sides of said series will gradually approach each other, the same beingspaced a considerable distance apart at the left hand end of the machine, or as said form elements pass around the sprocket wheels 16 and 16', said rvform elements registering with each other in pairs, and gradually approaching each other until the sprocket wheels 17 and 17 are reached when said form elements are brought or pressed into close contact with each other, as clearly vseen in Figs. 5 and 6. The adjacentl sides of the form elements, that is the recessed portionsthereof, which are thus brought into contact with each other, are knife-edged so that as said form elements are brought and pressed into Vengagement with each other, the candy or other plastic material contained in adjacent pairs of form elements will be completely severed from each other. v ln order to guide said form elements in this travel, guide bars 32 and 33 are providedV for engagement with the sides or .ends of the form elements 19 and 19', as clearly seen in Fig. 4:.V Said bars 32 and are shouldered or channeled, in order to also prevent relative lateral shifting of the form relements in the travel of the same.

c In order to effect ejection of the pieces of candy or other material from the form elements, as the form elementsof the upper and lower. series. recedeA from each other, each of the lower Aform'elements may be provided with a plunger34; which is mounted in the bottom of eachof the recesses 21. Coperating with each plunger isV av helical compression spring 35 which normally holds the same in retracted position, the spring engaging with an end Vpiece 36 carried at the inner end of each plunger. End pieces project from the inner ends of the form elements 19, for engagement with a stationary eccentric cam 37 mounted upon the shaft 10, said cam serving to push said plungers outwardly into the recesses 2 1 and thus serve to `eject the pieces of candy or other Ina-1. terial which .may beseated therein, such ejectionoccurring, as will be seen, as said formelements recede from the upper form elements atrthe discharge end ofthemachine. vThe end pieces 36 are in threaded connection with the plungers, 34, permitting of longitudinal adjustment ofsaidplungers.

This adjustment of said end pieces is of special advantage in that it affords means for adjusting the position of the inner ends of said plungers relative to the periphery of cam 37 so as to insure, at all times, proper engagement of said plungers with said cam, notwithstanding faulty assembly or wear to which said parts will be subjected in the operation of the machine.

vIn the operation of the machine, a strp of candy, or other plastic material to be operated upon, is fed into the left hand end of the machine between the form elements 19 and 19. In order t0 regulate the size of the strip thus fed into the machine, a pair of channel wheels 38 and 38 are provided adjust-ably secured by setscrews 39 and 39 upon shafts 40 and 40 which are held stationary in a supporting bracket 41. The channels in said wheels 3S and 38 are eccentrically arranged so that through rotative adjustment of said wheels, the operative depth of the channel may be varied and thus the size of the strip fed between the same controlled, as will, of course, be readily understood. In the operation of the machine the strip of candy will be drawn past the members 38 and 38 by the form elements 19 and 19 in the travel of t-he latter. At the opposite end of the machine is provided a discharge chute 42 into which the pieces of candy, or other material, are deposited after ejection from the form elements 19, as above described, the formation of the pieces being, as seen, a continuous operation.

This machine is especially designed for use in the formation of candies having soft centers and hard shells. Up t0 the present time it has been a very diilicultmatter to handle candy of this character inasmuch as it has been found that in pressing t-he outer shell or casing around the soft interior portion, portions of the latter would be squeezed out from the shell, which, of course, is very unsatisfactory. This difficulty has been occasioned primarily because of sudden forming or pressing of the casing around the soft interior, it having been found that in this case the softer inner portion does not offer sufficient resistance to the outer shell, and consequently some of the inner portion is squeezed laterally from the shell in closing the latter about the interior portion. With applicants construction7 however, wherein the forming elements and the confining means approach each other very gradually,

gear 15 ofthe shaft 10, as clearly seen in Fig. 3.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but

desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a machine of the class described, of adjustable means for controlling the thickness of a strip of material fed into said machine, said means comprisv ing two coperating rotatably adjustable wheels having eccentrically formed channels in the peripheries thereof; means for holding said wheels against rotation in the operation of the machine; and means for drawing the material between said wheels, sub- 'stantially as described.

2. The combination with a machine of the class described, of adjustable means for controlling the thickness of a strip of material fed into said machine, said means comprising two coperating channel wheels, one of said wheels being rotatably adjustable and the channel thereof being eccentric; means for holding 'said wheels against rotation in the operation of the machine; and means for drawing the material between said wheels, substantially as described.

In testimonyl whereof I have signed my 105 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

y EMIL J. BRACH.

Witnesses ARTHUR A. OLSON, 

